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No royal driving tour and balcony scene on Prinsjesdag, public not welcome

The royal driving tour and the balcony scene on Budget Day are canceled due to the corona crisis. The public is also called upon not to come to The Hague. King Willem-Alexander will read the Speech from the Throne, but he will not be in the Glass Carriage.

The mayor of The Hague, The Hague, has decided in consultation with the king and other parties involved to make the festive celebration of Prince’s Day on September 15 much more austerity in order to prevent the spread of the corona virus. There is limited military ceremonial at the Grote Kerk and Noordeinde Palace, but no spectators are allowed there. It has never happened before that there should be no public at Prinsjesdag, which has been held at the Binnenhof in The Hague since 1904.

‘Not to be maintained’

By calling off the royal Prince’s Day celebrations, The Hague hopes to prevent a massive influx of public. The municipality calls on everyone to watch the celebration of Budget Day on television.

Mayor Van Zanen regrets the cancellation of the driving tour and the balcony scene, but he hopes for a “worthy day”. “It is a beautiful festive day, but far too many people are coming to it. That is unsafe, you simply should not do that,” says Van Zanen. He is sure that it will not be possible to keep people at a distance of 1.5 meters. “It just cannot be maintained.”

Balcony scene

In recent years, tens of thousands of spectators came to The Hague to see King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima driving through the city center in the Glass Carriage with their followers. After the Speech from the Throne upon returning to Noordeinde Palace, the historic balcony scene is also popular; some fans arrive early in the morning to get a good spot in front of the fence.

It is still unknown how King Willem-Alexander will come to the Grote Kerk. “We are still thinking about it, but it will certainly not be the Glass Carriage,” says Van Zanen. Chances are that the king will come with a car, as has happened three times before.

Wilhelmina

In 1946 and 1947, just after the Second World War, Queen Wilhelmina did not think it was the right time to go with the Golden Coach used at the time. Her daughter Juliana did not want to ride in a carriage past the French Embassy in 1974 where a hostage taking by Japanese terrorists was underway.

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